The Catacoustic CD Store

Our Newest CD Release!

secret of the Muse

This CD features two of the foremost American performers today, Annalisa Pappano and Joanna Blendulf, with the glorious, refined music of the last great aristocracy. They are joined by David Walker (archlute & theorbo) and Youngmi Kim (soprano).

They perform French Baroque music from its most rarified period: compositions and arrangements for pardessus de viole. Considered a “ladies’ instrument,” and played by the Princesses of the royal family, the pardessus was intensely popular in France during the waning decades of the ancien régime. $15.00 plus shipping.

This recording was made possible through the generous support of Gregg Hill and Linda Holmberg.

Music for Treble Viol and Lute

With this CD you will be transported to the world of Renaissance jazz, through the practice of 16th-century improvisation and diminution. People often think of 20th-century jazz as the birth of creative free-form improvisation in music. Actually, this was happening hundreds of years ago with instrumentalists and singers alike, where the musician and composer were partners in musical creation.

Due to the extreme difficulty of the instrument and this repertory, there are currently no other solo recordings available of this repertory on the treble viol.

In the 16th-century, the composer provided a framework, a musical skeleton with clues that were idiomatic to a shared artistic language. The musician knew when and where to add accidentals (ficta). The performer also had an understanding of text underlay. Instrumentation was up to the performer as well.

Dynamics (loud and soft), articulations (smooth and soft notes), and other musical decisions were also left to the performer. Most importantly, musicians improvised by adding musical material.